AfD faces scrutiny over leaked emails as Weidel outlines sweeping EU reforms

Germany’s far-right Alternative for Germany is investigating the publication of a vast cache of emails and other files allegedly stolen during a cyberattack, while party co-leader Alice Weidel has presented proposals that would substantially reduce the European Union’s powers. The two developments have placed the AfD’s internal security and European strategy under scrutiny. An AfD spokesperson said unidentified hackers had targeted a hosting provider used by the party during an attack last month.

The hackers appeared to have copied data from a small number of mostly inactive email accounts, the spokesperson said. The party was examining the subsequent online publication and said no firm assessment could be made until its investigation was complete. Bild reported that more than 420,000 AfD-linked emails had been published.

The reported material also included bank statements, academic certificates and membership lists, including correspondence involving co-leader Alice Weidel. An archive of the website reportedly showed 281 gigabytes of data under a label presenting it as the party’s records in unedited form. The website hosting the files was offline by Tuesday afternoon.

DW said the material included alleged references to racism, antisemitism and Nazi ideology, but stressed that much of the trove had not been independently verified. The AfD has not confirmed the full size or authenticity of the material described in media reports. The leak emerged as Weidel prepared to present the AfD’s EU policy at the European Parliament.

According to Politico’s account cited by DW, the party does not initially seek Germany’s withdrawal from the bloc or the eurozone. Instead, it wants to reduce the EU’s powers and budget, replace direct European Parliament elections with delegates appointed by national parliaments, and restrict the European Commission largely to administrative duties. Speaking in Strasbourg, Weidel described the EU as being in “severe need of reform” and said its future should rest on subsidiarity, responsibility and sovereignty.

She argued that key decisions should be made in national parliaments and criticised what she called the Commission’s unelected legislative initiative. She also objected to the primacy of EU law and to elements of common fiscal policy. The AfD would seek exemptions from EU rules on issues including migration and social policy, with possible opt-outs in agriculture and financial policy.

Weidel said member states should protect their own borders if the EU failed to secure the bloc’s external frontier, and suggested leaving the Schengen open-border area if it no longer functioned. Politico reported that the party could seek a German referendum on EU membership if its demands were rejected, although such a vote would require a constitutional amendment approved by two-thirds majorities in both the Bundestag and Bundesrat. The party hopes to implement its programme after the 2029 German and European elections.

Recent surveys cited by DW put the AfD first, but it would need a coalition partner to govern. Other parties, including the Christian Democratic Union, reject cooperation under the country’s “firewall” policy. The AfD’s immediate challenge, however, is to establish what was stolen and whether the published material is genuine.